Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Ahead of Print. The purpose of this phenomenological case study was to explore the characteristics of the principal of a successful, high-performing, high-poverty elementary school. Researcher observations and interview data indicated that the principal of one high-poverty, high-performing elementary school in a large suburban school district engaged in moral and adaptive leadership. Findings further indicated that teachers and staff had observed the principal practicing engagement and presence in the school and in the school’s community to achieve ..read more

Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Ahead of Print. This study investigates the identity development of teacher leaders in an, urban school district who participated in a Noyce Master Teaching Fellow, program. We identify tensions that arose from involvement in this, external community of practice (CoP) and changes in teacher leader, meanings and practices in their school CoPs. Qualitative key findings, indicate that as boundary crossers, (1) teacher leader activities surfaced, tensions between CoPs, promoting boundary competence, and (2), participation in an external CoP reshaped the ..read more

Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Ahead of Print. As professionals charged with fostering student learning and well-being, educators—school leaders, teachers, school counselors, preservice teachers—should demonstrate social emotional competence. In this study, we apply the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning’s framework—self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making—to ascertain what we know from scholarship about educators’ SEL competence. We conclude with guiding principles for training programs and profes ..read more

Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Ahead of Print. The applicability of leadership theories on leaders’ personal values in a non-Western context remains unclear. This study attempts to explore school leaders’ value-driven leadership practices in Malaysian primary schools. This study employed a qualitative approach using interviews with five school leaders from Malaysian national primary schools. Qualitative data analysis rendered a contextualization of servant-, authentic-, and ethical leadership attributes such as advocates positive discipline, tolerance to conflicts, humility and g ..read more

Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Ahead of Print. Leadership preparation is essential in developing critical skills of effective school leaders. Educational leadership preparation programs vary greatly in terms of program features, it is important to identify which specific elements are likely associated with program quality. Using multiple years of Initiative for Systemic Program Improvement through Research in Educational Leadership (INSPIRE) data, this study analyzes the relationships between program features and graduates’ assessments of overall program quality. Our main finding ..read more

Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Ahead of Print. This pedagogical case focuses on the online mentoring of educational leadership doctoral candidates in a protracted crisis. Relevant theories and problems of practice in doctoral education are reviewed. The COVID-19 Dyadic Online Mentoring Intervention was a faculty mentor’s dyadic mentoring initiative for guiding 19 mentees’ social justice-oriented dissertations. Beneficiaries’ responses spanning 2020 to 2021 indicated that effective academic mentoring, progress, and success resulted from 10 online strategies they identified. The re ..read more

Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Ahead of Print. Evaluating the superintendent is the paramount duty of the school board. Current evaluation practices are inconsistent and meaningless for providing effective feedback. The researcher was interested in understanding this issue from the school board’s perspective. Research questions addressed were: (1) What current evaluation practices exist? (2) What further training and support do school board members need? and (3) How does a school board member’s relationship with the superintendent affect their perception of the superintendent eva ..read more

Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Ahead of Print. This study examines the work completed by a regional, comprehensive university’s principal preparation program in redesigning their curriculum for greater coherence. Their process for identifying equity as a program theme and explicitly addressing learning related to program themes is described. Key steps in the process include (a) collaborating with partners, (b) identifying problems of practice, (c) surfacing core beliefs, (d) articulating a comprehensive theory of action, (e) creating a crosswalk aligning standards to courses and ..read more

Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Ahead of Print. This quantitative study explored the relationship between the beliefs of school district superintendents regarding the implementation of trauma-informed strategies and their actions in supporting building principals with the implementation of those strategies within the K-12 school system in New York State. The findings suggest that superintendents who believe in implementing trauma-informed strategies believe in doing so equally across elementary, middle and high schools; have had conversations with members of their Board of Educati ..read more

Journal of Research on Leadership Education, Ahead of Print. In developing sub-Saharan Africa, a region, that is, in the early stages of implementing inclusive education, there is limited discussion on inclusive leadership modules for training leaders. The qualitative study presented in this paper attempted to fill this knowledge gap by considering school leaders’ contributions to implementing inclusive education for students with disabilities. The paper identifies the challenges faced by schools and the initiatives they have implemented to promote inclusive education. The paper concludes by p ..read more